Automobile repair apparatus exerting a pulling force



July 7, 1970 J. A. PIETRONUTO ET AL 3,518,864

AUTOMOBILE REPAIR APPARATUS EXERTING A PULLING FORCE Filed May 26, 1967 IN VENTORS JQS'EP/l A P/FIQONUTO S4194 T025 6/4! 7' 7' 0 Wv lLmJ J A T TORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,518,864 AUTOMOBILE REPAIR APPARATUS EXERTING A PULLING FORCE Joseph A. Pietronuto, 3231 Lafayette Ave., Bronx, 10465, and Salvatore Giannetto, 35 Acorn Lane, Plainview, N.Y. 11803 Filed May 26, 1967, Ser. No. 641,630

Int. Cl. B21d 1/12 US. Cl. 72302 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved apparatus for providing a direct pulling force from a pushing force applied between projections extending from interslideable telescoping members. The linear force on the projections as applied, for example, by the expansion of an hydraulic ram, strongly pulls together the ends of the telescoping tube and anything attached to such ends.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for providing a pushing stress between spaced apart members on interslideable tubular members to produce a pulling stress.

It has been found desirable in many fields, especially in the repair of framed structures such as automobiles to employ a pulling force to straighten or bend a work piece to a desired shape. In automobile body work repair especially hydraulic mechanisms are employed to push out dented or damaged portions of the body frame or axles, and the standard tool employed is a hydraulicly actuated ram which generally comprises a pressure cylinder and a reciprocating plunger mounted therein. While the hydraulic ram is readily employable for work requiring a pushing force, in instances where a pulling rather than pushing force is either more desirable or the only feasible method of effecting the desired result either sophisticated jacks need be employed which provide both a pulling and pushing force or other complex or supplemental tools are required.

The use of specialized hydraulic jacks in generally undesirable since these devices are relatively expensive, have limited use and have been found to be generally unreliable. It has been found to be more desirable to attempt to employ the standard hydraulic ram in conjunction with other equipment to provide a pulling force; many devices have been developed to effectuate such purpose.

In general, devices so developed were complicated in structure, assembly and use, requiring in many instances the use of complicated ratchet devices. In some devices an open-work structure of interwoven chains was employed with the hydraulic ram interposed therebetween, however the positioning and setting up of this structure was cumbersome. Where a constricting open-work frame was employed in lieu of the chained structure many of these problems were alleviated however devices of this type also had many limitations. Positioning of the ram within the openawork frame was cumbersome and the framework itself was an integral unit which had to be replaced in its entirety if there was damage to any of the frame members.

According to the present invention a readily assemblable pulling stress apparatus is provided having an elongated tubular member with an upwardly extending projection such as a mounting block on its outer periphery, an elongated member such as a rod slidably mounted within the tube, an upwardly extending projection such as a mounting block on the rod protruding upward from the tube so as to be in parallel spaced apart relationship to the tube block and an elongated slot running along at least a portion of the length of the tube from the rod block towards the tube block.

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By mounting the hydraulic ram between the rod block and tube block, the actuation thereof will cause the blocks to move apart with the rod block riding within the slot on the tube, and any structure aflixed to the ends of either the tube or rod or both will be pulled inward towards the blocks.

Although such novel feature or features believed to be characteristic of the invention are pointed out in the claims, the invention and the manner in which it may be carried out may be further understood by reference to the description following and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a top elevation of a device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a section view taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the figures in greater detail, where like reference numbers denote like parts in the various figures.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4 an elongated tubular member 1 is provided with an upward projection such as a block 2 disposed on its outer periphery near one end thereof. An elongated member such as a rod 3 having a peripheral surface similar to but smaller than the inner periphery of the tubular member 1 is slideably mounted within the tubular member 1. The circumferential shape of the rod 3 is optional although its widest diameter must be less than the widest diameter of the inner periphery of the tubular member 1.

An upward projection such as a block 4 is disposed substantially near the end of and on the outer periphery on the elongated rod 3 in parallel relationship to the block 2 on the tubular member 1. A longitudinal slot 5 runs along at least a portion of the length of the tubular member 1 between the blocks 2, 4. It is preferable that the slot 5 begin at the end of the tubular member opposite the lock 2 on the tubular member 1. In this manner the mounting of the rod 3 within the tubular member 1 is facilitated, and the apparatus is readily assemblable and disassemblable for repair or replacement of parts. A cap may be removably mounted such as by threading the last referred to end of the tubular member 1 and acts as a stop at the end of the slot 5.

By moving the block 4 along the slot 5 away from the block 2 the rod 3 which when the blocks 2, 4 are in close- 1y spaced apart position preferably protrudes outward of the tubular member 1, will be drawn inward of the tubular member 1 and the rod 3 opposite their respective blocks 2, 4, will be pulled inward. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 this separation is readily accomplished by a hydraulic ram 7 interposed between the blocks 2, 4. The ram 7 is such as is readily available in the art and generally comprises, a pressure cylinder 8 and a reciprocating plunger 9 mounted within the cylinder 8 actuatable by hydraulic pressure from the pump unit 10.

Mounting of the ram 7 may be further facilitated by the inclusion of declivities 11 on the inward faces of the blocks 2, 4 which receive therein the end portion protuberances 12 of cylinder mounts 13 so that each cylinder mount 13 is aligned at right angles to the face of its respective block 2, 4 and is disposed in parallel relationship to the tubular member 1. The outer ends of the cylinder mounts 13 readily fit within the cup-shaped end portions normally found on the outer ends of both the cylinder 8 and plunger 9 of the ram 7.

Cylinder mounts 13 of varying lengths may be interchangeably employed to accommodate rams of differing sizes or to shorten the distance between the blocks 2, 4 when desired.

For convenience in use mounting brackets may be provided on the outer ends of the tubular member 1 and the elongated rod 3 such as the U brackets 14, 15 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 which are preferably pivotally mounted by conventional means, such as a through bolt and nut arrangement 16, to the outer ends of the tubular member 1 and elongated rod 3. A chain length 17, 18 mounted to the U-brackets 1 4, 15 respectively provide means for afiixation of the ends of the tubular member 1 and the elongated rod 3 to the work product or to a work product and anchor. In assembly the chains 17, 18 may be first positioned on the U-brackets 14, 15 and then the U- brackets afiixed by the bolt and nut arrangement 16 thereby eliminating the need for special snap links on the chains 17, 18.

In operation, the rams 7, 26 are positioned between the blocks 2, 4 which are spaced apart the distance requisite to accommodate the unextended ram 7, 26 therebetween. The rod 3 is in extended position outward of the tubular member 1 and upon actuation the ram 7, 26 forces the blocks 2, 4 away from each other, the block 4 riding within the slot 5 of the tubular member I drawing the rod 3 inward of the tubular member 1 and creating a pulling force on the outer ends of both the tubular member 1 and the rod 3.

Any structure affixed to the ends of the device will be pulled inward toward the device and in such manner the device may be interposed between two areas of the work piece to pull the structure together or one end of the device may be anchored and the other end affixed to the work piece to pull out or shape the work piece.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 it is preferable that the linking of the device of the present invention to both the anchor or work piece is pivotal or hinged so that the anchorage and work piece need not be located on an exactly even plane and a vertical anchor such as the post, not shown, may be employed in cases where the desired pull is not to be at right angles to a post but rather on an inclined angle to a post.

In the event of damage to any of the major components such as a bending of the tubular member 1 or the rod 3, new or repaired components may be readily substituted by disassembly of the device such as by withdrawing the rod 3 from the tubular member 1 by sliding the same outward along the slot 5.

The terms and expressions which are employed are used as terms of description; it is recognized, though that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

Having thus described certain forms of the invention in some detail, what is claimed is:

1. An automobile repair apparatus exerting a pulling force comprising a tubular member having an elongated longitudinal slot thereon, a projection extending upward on the outer periphery of said tubular member substantially near one end thereof, said tubular member projection mounted in an intersecting plane to said slot, an

elongated member having a diameter no greater than the inner diameter of said tubular member, a projection extending upward on the outer periphery of said elongated member substantially near one end thereof, said elongated member slideably mountable within said tubular member with said elongated member projection riding within said slot, the end portion of said elongated member opposite said elongated member projection end extending outward of said tubular member, means to affix the end of said tubular member opposite said tubular member projection to a first member, means to alfix the outward extending end of said elongated member to a second member, and means interposed between said projections to push said elongated member projection away from said tubular member projection whereby a pulling force is produced at the affixed ends of said tubular member and said elongated member as they are drawn together.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means interposed between said projections is a hydraulically operable ram.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said slot on said tubular member extends to the end of said tubular member opposite said tubular member projection.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the end of said tubular member opposite said tubular member projection further includes a removeably mounted cap thereon.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each said projection has an opening on its inner face and each said projection further includes mounting means for a hydraulic ram, said mounting means comprising a cylinder having a protuberance projecting from the base thereof, said protuberance adapted to fit within said projection openmg.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the end portion of said elongated member opposite said elongated member projection has a transverse opening therethrough and the end portion of said tubular member opposite said tubular member projection has a transverse opening therethrough, and said means to aflix said ends includes a U-bracket pivotally afiixed to each said end through said openings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,907,686 5/1933 Tupper 25476 2,135,278 11/1938 Countryman 72-392 2,165,504 7/1939 Pfauser 72392 2,947,275 8/1960 Edmonds 25493 X 2,956,458 10/1960 Hougen 72-302 2,979,102 4/1961 Ferguson et al. 72-392 3,007,509 11/1961 Eek 72705 X 3,150,859 9/1964 Payne 254--93 X MILTON S. MEHR, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

